Jane Beaufort's Parentage

There has been some contention, for generations, as to whether or not Henry de Beaufort (1375-1447), son of John of Gaunt, had an affair with Alice Fitzalan and fathered Jane Beaufort (1402-1455) or not. Some sources contend that there is no evidence for this, while others assert that Jane's father was Henry de Beaufort.

I am trying to find out, then, who Jane's father was, assuming the story of Henry de Beaufort and Alice Fitzalan isn't true. So far, I've had no luck in doing so. There is no doubt that Jane existed. She married Sir Edward Stradling (1398-1453) and had descendants (myself among them). However, I can't locate a single source that gives an alternative father to her, other than Henry de Beaufort. Every source I find says she was Henry's daughter. If this isn't so, you would think there would be evidence for Jane's true parentage. Does anyone know of any?

Replies to This Discussion

I haven't found any evidence to confirm or deny this relationship. It isn't entirely impossible, John of Gaunt had three wives, this third was Catherine Swynford, a mistress of many years and bore his at least four children. She died in 1403.

I am up against the same issues noted herein. I am at Jane Beaufort and Sir Edward Stradling and have parents of Jane as Cardinal Henry Beaufort and Alice Fitzalan, which means if this is correct, you know what happens from John Of Gaunt all the way back. It's exciting, but weird too. I can't disprove Jane's father as being the Cardinal, nor can I disprove her mother as being Alice.

For me, my line goes from The Palmers/Verney, to Palmer/ Stradling, Some Arundel's, Mathew's, Dinham's and Herbert and Chidioc to Sir Edward Stradling and Jane Beaufort.

Tommy, this is also my line. Without all the info. in front of me, it is pretty close, except, mine goes all the way from the FitzAllen to my American Allen. My Great Great Grandmother was an Allen, and that's how I traced it back. But, I also have another line that goes back to John of Gaunt's mother. As a matter of fact, I have several lines that goes to Edward III (and of course---backwards). Finally in the 1800's my Allen line married into the Sims line. The Sims/Symes line goes all the way back to Sir ?? Sims/Symes, KG (I forget his first name, I think its John). So, there is another example of who her (Jane) ancestry is involved with.

I have thought about doing the Ancestry DNA, but I don't have an account (except the free one) with Ancestry. So, I have to come up with the money to do both!

Hi, Thomas. My line is from Jane and Edward's son Sir Henry Harry Stradling, and continues with the Stradlings, down to their granddaughter, Jane Stradling (abt 1480), who married William Griffith (Gruffyd) abt 1518. One thing that has always, for me, suggested that Jane must have been John of Gaunt's granddaughter is that she married Sir Edward Stradling, Chamberlain of South Wales. This wouldn't have happened if Jane was just a commoner. What do you think?

Gary, I agree my friend. Plus I see allot of connectivity with the Palmer's who were knights and hung out with the King, then I see Alice Fitzalan who has Plantagenet on her side too. Also, Elizabeth Verney (Another Grandmother) was God-Daughter to the Queen. I did see some other similar family names hanging around on the other lines as well. Wild. If you have any info at all, would love it!

Nothing on those lines, with the exception of the Fitzalans. My line continues through Alice Fitzalan to the Earls of Arundel and Surrey, back to John Fitzalan, 4th Earl of Arundel and his father, William Fitzalan, Sheriff of Shropshire. From there, the line continues back through William Fitzalan, Governor of Shrewsbury and Sheriff of Salop to Alan Fitzflaad and, ultimately, Alan's father, Flaad. It dead ends there.

When Henry was Bishop of Lincoln, he had an affair with, some believe, Alice FitzAlan (1378–1415), the daughter of Richard FitzAlan and Elizabeth de Bohun, though there is no real evidence to support this. He fathered an illegitimate daughter, Jane Beaufort, in 1402, who some make Alice's daughter. Both Jane and her husband Sir Edward Stradling, were named in Cardinal Beaufort's will. Their marriage about 1423 brought Sir Edward into the political orbit of his shrewd and assertive father-in-law, to whom he may have owed his appointment as chamberlain of South Wales in December 1423, a position he held until March 1437.[13] The idea of Jane's mother being Alice Fitzalan is possibly a legend of Tudor-era descendants of Sir Edward and Jane Stradling. There is no late-14th/early-15th century documentation to support this affair at all, and the surviving documentation entirely discounts it. However, a blood connection to Cardinal Beaufort would itself be prestigious, regardless of the mother or her marital status.

Given the nature of the event, would you really expect that anyone would have documented it? Of course it's not documented, but it is well known that the monarchs of medieval Europe, as well as their nobles, were notorious for illicit affairs and that sometimes, there was illegitimate issue from these affairs, despite all efforts to cover it up. So, the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence of illegitimate offspring.